This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
My keto granola bars are a snacking savior. They are thick, chewy, and naturally sweetened, perfect for a grab-and-go snack between meals. You can customize them in many ways, and each bar has only 2 grams of carbs.
Table of Contents
Why you need my keto granola bars
Nope, this is not an oxymoron! Now, these don’t have granola in them because they aren’t keto-friendly (unless you use my keto granola!), but they are a fabulous alternative. They are crunchy, chewy, satisfying, and loaded with crunchy nuts. Each bar has just 2 grams of carbs and zero sugar.
These keto granola bars are easy to customize, too. I’ve tested them with different nuts, seeds, and flavor boosters and even drizzled them with melted sugar-free chocolate. They are SO much cheaper than store-bought granola bars, and the minimal ingredient list makes me feel good about my family snacking on them.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“This is so good, my husband will even eat it. Make sure to line your pan so the bars won’t stick.” – Linda
Key Ingredients
- Nuts. I like to use raw almonds, cashews, and roughly chopped peanuts, but any nuts will work.
- Keto crispy cereal. A fantastic low-carb substitute for crispy rice cereal. I typically buy mine at Costco or Sam’s Club, but you can also find it online. No cereal? Try crushing up my homemade keto cereal or superfine chopped nuts.
- Maple Syrup. I use keto maple syrup to provide sweetness and hold the bars together. You can also use my keto honey or keto simple syrup. If you choose to use a store-bought brand, ensure it has allulose as the sweetener, not erythritol or monk fruit sweetener.
How to make keto granola bars
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1- Whisk together the nuts and crispy cereal in a bowl.
Step 2– Add your keto maple syrup. Whisk very well until thoroughly combined.
Step 3- Transfer the mixture to the lined pan and press it into it using a rubber spatula.
Step 4- Bake the bars for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the bars to cool completely before carefully slicing into bars using a sharp knife.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Do not overbake the granola bars, as they will firm up as they cool down. I suggest removing them from the oven when the edges are firm.
- Line the pan with parchment paper. This might seem like a silly tip, but I need to reiterate lining the pan. The mixture is super sticky, so we don’t want any of the mixture to stick to the pan.
- If your mixture is too thin, add more sugar-free maple syrup to compensate.
- For a finer consistency, lightly blend or roughly chop the nuts before assembling. This will make the bars a little more chewy and easy to eat.
Storage instructions
To store: Granola bars are fragile and sticky, so they should always be stored in the fridge. Keep them covered, and they will keep well for up to 4 weeks.
To freeze: Individually wrap bars in parchment paper, place them in a ziplock bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Keto Granola Bars
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw cashews roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon pumpkin seeds optional
- 1/2 cup keto crispy cereal
- 5 tablespoon keto maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an 8 x 8-inch pan with parchment paper and grease it generously. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the almonds, cashews, and peanuts with the crispy cereal. Pour the sugar-free syrup over it and mix very well, until completely combined and all the nuts/cereal is coated in the syrup.
- Transfer the granola bar mixture into the lined pan and using a rubber spatula, press down to ensure a uniform layer. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, before slicing into bars.
Notes
- Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate– Replace the cashews with chopped peanuts and drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top.
- Blueberry Pecan– Add 2 tablespoons of dried blueberries to the mixture. Replace the cashews with roughly chopped pecans.
- Cranberry Almond– Add 2 tablespoons of dried unsweetened cranberries to the mixture and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Dark Chocolate Almond and Coconut– Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of coconut flakes on top of the granola bars before baking them. Drizzle melted dark chocolate over the top.
- Vanilla Almond and Sea Salt– Replace half the almonds with smoked almonds, add 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, and sprinkle the tops of the bars with sea salt.
Nutrition
Frequently asked questions
Your bars may be soft and a little limp if you don’t bake them long enough. Oven makes and models differ. If, at the 25-minute mark, your granola bars are still soft when touched, cook for a further 5 minutes.
If you wait too long to slice the granola bars, they will firm up too much and be difficult to slice. To make the granola bars easier to slice, heat the knife first, by pouring boiling water over it and lightly patting it dry.
As the keto maple syrup isn’t as thick as non-keto sweeteners (like brown rice syrup or honey), they need to be baked to ensure they hold together.
I need to make them, They look so good
Thank you so much! These are totally the best! Made them a few times!
This is so good my husband will even eat it . Make sure to line your pan so the bars won’t stick
Since I can’t find keto crispy cereal. I have this keto granola crunch (and in 3 different flavors), could I use that in place of the cereal?
I don’t see why not!
Made these but had no keto cereal so I used peanuts and eliminated the cashews mine would not cut into bars so I chopped it up and separated into 12 snack size baggies and grab one for a quick snack! Works ! And is tasty
Can your keto cereal recipe be used in this recipe?
Hi Arman,
I’ve made these in the past a few times and they’re awesome! I have a tree nut allergy so I used peanuts and Sunflower seeds as alternate. I see the High-Key cereal is no longer available…any suggestions for cereal alternative? Thanks for your great recipes!
Hi Jamie! You could use finely chopped nuts 🙂
Will do
Cheers
Hi Arman,
Keto crispy cereal is not available in Australia, can you please suggest a substitute.
You could try some seeds.
These sound amazing. I’m going to try them for my daughter who is diabetic. We both have been trying to do a keto diet but she is having a rough time with the munchies and also finding quick stuff to eat on the go with a busy work schedule. My question is what is keto crisp cereal?
I’ve linked it in the post: )